Pneumatic composite heel



Cil

Patented Sept. Il, i923.

unirti stars Leitl JESSIE E. PRICE, OF-LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PNEUMATIC COMFOSITE HEEL.

Application led July 7, 1919` vrSerial No. 308,927.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssin IC. Pinon, a'

citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic omposite Heels, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention, which relates to pneumatic composite heels for boots, shoes, and other foot wear, is an improvement on the heel sety forth and claimed in my Patent No. 1,269,958, dated June I8, 1918.

My present improvements are embodied in a composite heel comprising a contact or wearing surface made up of leather and resilient or cushion sections as in my aforesaid patent, so that the heel will combine the advantages of a resilient section to take up the shocks and jars of walking with a non-resilient, and larger, tread section of Wood, leather, or other suitable material which takesr up the major portion of the wear and thus the combined advantages of the two sections are obtained, without likelihood of slipping on a wet surface which is a fault of an all rubber heel.

The object of my invention is to improve the resilient part of the heel, particularly in that section thereof which constitutes a lift between the non-resilient or leather sections of the heel, by the. provision of an airA cell and a supporting pier or pin arranged centrally thereof, on both sides of the lift portion of the rubber part of the heel, thereby providing a pneumatic heel which affords great resiliency while, at the same time, preventing caving in or distortion of the leather or non-resilient outer lift or tread portion:

of the heel when the latter is worn thin by use.

In a heel made according to my present improvements, whatever the heel has lost in the nature of resiliency by reason of the use of the lower leather lift, is more than compensated for by the pneumatic cushion provided; furthermore, a great saving of rubber is effected while all the advantages of resiliency are obtained, without the disadvantages of the entire resilient section being in contact with the surface walked upon.

Another feature of my invention is to form the side walls of the pneumatic section of the heel in an improved manner and to so proportion the central resilient pier or piers that an air-tight joint will be obtained between the pneumatic section and the non-resilient lifts or sections of the heel, insuring the integrity of the pneumatic feature of the heel.

The present invention is not limited to the shape and design of the heel, nor to the shape of the pier, nor the exact angle disclosed of the beveled side edges of the pneu` matic section.

Ihe resilient section of the heel may be of rubber, rubber fabric, rubber and fiber, or the like, rubber and yucca, or, a composition made from rubber and fish scales. This latter composition has the advantage of wearing away slowly as compared with rubber and rubber fabric, and it may be used, if preferred, but I do not limit myself to its use in the formation of the resilient section of the heel.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the complete heel;

Fig. 2, a cross section on line 2 2 of Fie l;

Fig. 3, a plan view of the resilient section'of the heel showing one form of the central pier or support;

Fig. 4, a cross section on line 4--4 of Fs- 3;

Figs. 5 and 6, views like Fig. 3 showing other forms of the central pier or support and also illustrating other positions of the contact or tread portion of the resilient section.

To the shank of the shoe l is secured a leather lift 2,. My improved resilient tread section is shown at 3 and the non-resilient tread section appears at 4. t

f The general manner in which the resilient tread section 3 is located between the sections 2 and 4 and related thereto is the same as in my :PatentV 1,269,958, my present improv'ements relating tothe resilient section 2 and its improved relationship to the sections 2 and 4.

The sections 3 and 4 are cemented together and form a unitary structure which may be sold and applied as such to the lift 2, and connected thereto by suitable screws, nails, or fastenings 6, the manner in which the tread portion 5 fits into the edge of the lift portion of the tread 4,'prevents relative lateral shifting, once the sections 3 and 4 are secured together and to the lift 2. This feature was described in my patent aforesaid.

Molded into the resilient section 3 are washers 7 which reinforce the holes S extending through the section 3 for the passage of the screws or fastening devices 6.

My present improvements contemplate the provision of a pneumatic chamber 9 and a pier or support 10 on both sides of the section 3.

rlhe cross sectional shape of the central support or pier may vary. In Fig. 3 it is shown as: elliptical in cross section; in Fig. 5, as circular, and in Fig. 6, as square. I do not limit the invention to any cross sectional shape of the pier, nor to any par-V ticular position of the tread section 5 nor lrelationship thereof to the crossv sectional shape of the pier. f

Each pier 10l is located in the general central region of the concavity 9 and, the concavities or chambers are duplicates and the piersk arranged in vertical alignment with each other. The face 11 of the pier, in each instance, is located slightly below the sloping surface l2 which surrounds the chamber 9 so that when the heel is tightly fastened f in position, a certain compression of the section 8 may be obtainedtbefore the face ll presses against the non-resilient part of the heel as, for instance, thellift 2, and the sections et, or either ofthem, according to whether two piers or one pier aroused.l

Cement or an adhesive is preferably pron vided-bet\veen the adjoining faces ofthe sections 2 and 3, so that when the heel isl and, heldf tightly,

completely assembledl together, the cliambers9 will be completely sealed, the surface l2then being compressed flat and bearing firmly against theflift- 2 andfnon-resilient section 4; and the faces 11. also bearing against said lift2 and section 4t. Consequently7 no air can 'enters the chamber or chambers 9, according to whether one or two. are employed, and air cannotescape from these chambers. Thus, a pneumatic cushion is formed between the lift 2 ,and the non-resilient tiead section 4, which very greatly increases the resiliency' of the section 3 and relieves the shocks andjars ofl walking which are transmitted from the non-resilient section 4C through the section 3 to the shoe., boot, or other foot weary on whichthe heel is used. The central pier or piers4 l0 support the weight and also act as a cushion. As the section 4L wears down from use and becomes thin, the pier or piers l0 support said section L and prevent it from caving in, no matter how thin it may become, so that the outer surface o-f the section t is maintained in relationship to the heel and `iiattening out or closing of the chamber or chambers 9 is very largely prevented. Consequently, the pneumatic action is retained even when the section 4 has become considerably 'worn. Another advantage is that a saving of rubber, and any other material entering into the section 3, is effected while, at the same time, the advantage lof a pneumatic cushion is obtained. The section 3 may be of solid rubber, rubber fabric, rubber and yucca, rub-L ber andfiber, or, a comiposition of fish scales and rubber molded together. rlhis latter composition has great durability and wears away very slowly, while possessing'res'iliency. y

The non-resilient section It may be of leather, leather substitute, fiber, wood, or any other suitable material.

What I claim is:

A composite pneumatic heel adapted for attachment to the lower face of the shoe heel by fastenings, said composite heel comprising a resilient section provided with corresponding hollowed out upper and lower faces each having a single pier projecting substantially centrally thereof, the respective piers vbeing in alinement, and a non-resilient tread section attached to the lowerI face of the aforesaid resilient section and covering the lowerfhollowed out face thereofbut'leaving a part of the resilient section exposed andloeated` to lthe rear of the, said liollowed., out face, the lower face composite heel is applied thereto, and thek pyicrsbeing in sealed engagement with the shoe and with the non-resilient tread section, respectively. y

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

Jiissiie E. PnicE. 

